Customer Reviews of (COOLERMASTER RR-VTPS-28PK-R1)

Product reviews on NCIX.com are screened for relevance and inappropriate
content. Reviews may contain inaccurate information about the product.
If there is a discrepancy, please use the Flag this Review link
located beside each review. Reviews are not an endorsement expressed by
NCIX.com, but opinions from customers based on their own experience with
a product. We do not recommend you make purchasing decisions based on facts or opinions expressed in these reviews.

ProsFor the price you can price match it at it's an amazing cooler.just the right size to fit in smaller cases but still keep cool.

Conscould have a better fan but not a big deal for the price.

SummaryVery good heatsink for the price and cools way better and quieter than stock, as long as you don't have the fan going as fast as it can. I had a p7n 775 MOBO that has high chipset coolers and this fit, then I switched it to a HTPC AMD pc and it was low enough to fit easily. Very good design and adequate cooling.

ConsNot the best cooling performance compared to many other coolers out thereWill be quite noisy if temperatures cause the fan to ramp up to full speed

SummaryI purchased one of these to replace the stock cooler on my i860 cpu, which obviously has been designed to be just adequate and nothing more. I wanted something with a little more than adequacy. Although there is sufficient room in my case, I do not like the big tower coolers that are so popular nowadays. I'll admit they may provide better cooling, but hanging all that weight cantilevered off my mainboard socket does not appeal to me. I don't overclock my processors so heat isn't as big an issue for me as it might be for some. Since most low-profile coolers are downdraft, they also provide some cooling of the voltage regulation components surrounding the socket, as well. After looking at all the low-profile coolers available, the Vortex Plus seemed the best mix of performance versus price. In fact, I PM'ed it for less than $25, which was a bargain.

The cooler itself seems relatively well-made and finished for such an inexpensive heatsink. The finish on the base is not perfect, with machining marks quite evident to the naked eye, as opposed to the mirror finish of some products. The instructions are adequate and fairly easy to follow, done mostly through pictures, but lots of them. (Note: mine came with two sets of instructions: one a multilingual version, and a second, in English only, that was similar but explained some aspects of the installation better). A small syringe of Coolermaster-branded thermal compound is included. It seems to be some nondescript grey goop that will probably be fine if you don't have something better at hand.

The cooler description states it is designed for socket 1156/55, 1366 and AM3. However, it also will fit socket 775, K8 and AM2, as the specs indicate. The cooler installs using supplied pushpins (hate 'em) for the Intel sockets, however, I used a Thermalright screw mount plate and screws that I much prefer. The screw mounts can be a problem with some coolers, but in this instance the brackets attach before the heatsink is installed, so clearance/access is not an issue. Prior to installation, each of the two base brackets need to be adjusted by means of a set screw to accommodate either LGA 775, 1156/55 or 1366.

One of Coolermaster's Blademaster fans comes premounted on the heatsink, and fits snuggly into a slight recess in the cooling fins. In combination with the recess, the wire clips hold the fan very securely. Rubber grommets cannot be used, as the outer two heatpipes pass directly beneath the fan mounting holes. However, there are rubber pads beneath each of the four corners of the fan frame for sound dampening. The 92mm fan is PWM controlled and requires a 4 pin motherboard fan header.

Although somewhat larger than the stock Intel cooler, it is nevertheless still relatively light and low height. There are three possible orientations for mounting with Intel: with the heatpipes facing left, right or upwards. Facing downwards may be possible, but is not recommended (for an obvious reasons - the capillary action inside the heatpipes will be working against gravity). Which configuration is chosen may depend upon the components surrounding the socket, and it should be noted that the cooler is not centred on the socket, but is offset towards the end of the heatpipes. However, there is a cutout in the cooling fins here to increase clearance. I was able to fit the heatsink with any orientation on my Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4P in terms of clearing the components, but with the heatpipes facing right the heatsink extended over the first two memory slots. There was clearance, but just barely, and it would have made removal or installation of memory modules in these slots difficult to impossible. For comparison, the heatsinks on the board to the left and above the socket stand approximately 3.5 cm above the PCB, and the memory modules when installed (Ripjaws) stand approximately 4.5 cm above the PCB. For efficiency, I chose an upward orientation, which also directs air directly down on the upper heatsink on the motherboard, as well as out the two sides. It should be noted that the choice of horizontal or vertical orientation needs to be made prior to installing the two base brackets on the mainboard, as they are mounted either horizontally or vertically in accordance with the heatpipe orientation.

As for cooling efficiency, it does improve upon the stock solution (big surprise), but I don't place much credence in the absolute values yielded by a combination of CPU thermal sensors and the software utilities normally used to display the readings. They may or may not be accurate. Insofar as noise is concerned, the PWM controlled fan will ramp up if things get toasty, and note that this fan will spin up to 2800 rpm if necessary. At the higher speeds it, not surprisingly, is noisy, but under normal circumstances it spins at more modest speeds and is relatively quiet. The specs state that it will move 54.8 CFM at top speed, so it is no slouch when called upon.

SummaryI run this unit fanless on a 65W energy efficient AMD quad core. Since the PSU fan is within CM of the heatsink, the PSU fan pulls enough air to keep the thing cool without a dedicated CPU Heatsink Fan.It's definitely quieter than stock because it is running fanless and making use of the PSU fan to power it's cooling. Manages 50 deg at full folding load using the airflow from the PSU. No other fans are in the case, as the PSU fan is nearly as big as the mITX motherboard and provides reasonable airflow over all the components.The bracket for the AM3 slot was a bit finicky to assemble, but it works.

SummaryI bought this HSF to replace the stock i5 760 Intel cooler. The stock cooler is fine as a paperweight, but not good at anything else. The cooler dropped my CPU temps by about 25 degrees over stock and because it is capable of three different orientations, I have it doing a fine job of cooling my MOSFETs too.

The PWM fan is nicely controlled by my Intel MB and I can't hear it from outside the case. All in all, this HSF is a good value for the money.

SummaryI'm using this with an Intel DQ45EK and Antec Skeleton Mini. While I can't use the CPU coolers fan, the fan in the Antec Skeleton provides enough airflow to cover the cooler and other heat sinks.

Vortex Plus is a low profile CPU cooler with compact size but uncompromising cooling efficiency. The compact feature best suits in HTPC chassis or chassis with slim width and limited space. The heatsink comes with 4 heatpipes and direct contact base to maximize the heat conductivity and dissipation efficiency. The balanced PWM fan works to provide high airflow under high RPM mode.

Forum messages are not reviewed and may not contain accurate information about a product.
Message contents are opinions from customers based on their own experience with a product.
We do not recommend you make puchasing decisions based on Forum messages.

Sales Policy

All pricing subject to change. For all prices,
products and offers, NCIX.com reserves the right to make adjustments
due to changing market conditions, product discontinuation, manufacturer
price changes, errors in advertisements and other extenuating
circumstances. Promotional offers from NCIX.com are subject to
availability and are available only while supplies last. No rain
checks will be issued on promotional items and offers.

While NCIX.com uses all reasonable efforts
to include accurate and up-to-date information on the Site, NCIX.com
makes no warranties or representations as to the Site's accuracy.
NCIX.com assumes no liability or responsibility for any errors
or omissions in the content on the Site.

NCIX.com warrants product(s) to be in good
working condition and free from defects in material and workmanship
for a period of one (1) year for OEM packages, and for thirty
(30) days for RETAIL packages, from the original Invoice date
unless otherwise restricted below or by the manufacturer's own
warranty policy. Defective returns and warranty service will be
replaced, exchanged or repaired at NCIX.com's sole discretion,
and based on vendor's policy.

NON-DEFECTIVE merchandise returns may be
accepted on some items ONLY within 15 days of the Invoice date,
at NCIX.com's discretion. All NON-DEFECTIVE returns are subject
to a 15% restocking fee. No refunds will be issued for blank media,
digital cameras (and accessories), opened software, printers,
printer supplies, paper, projectors (and accessories), appliances,
handhelds, PDAs, notebook computers, special order computers and
special order items.

Defective software, video games or DVDs
will be replaced by the SAME title and format ONLY (and subject
to current availability) within 30 days of the Invoice date. Software,
video games and DVDs may be returned within 30 days only if the
item is UNOPENED (with shrink wrap still intact) at the sole discretion
of NCIX.com.

NCIX.com does NOT apply a surcharge
to credit card orders. Please read our RMA
& warranty policy and terms
& conditions for more information. If you have
any questions regarding our sales and warranty policies, please
send us a message -- we'll be glad to answer any of your questions.